China It is a country that I have loved for a long time. It is ancient, special and in this part of Asia it is the cradle of culture because its influence has been powerful. Today China is a recognized giant, but I believe that it never stopped being so.
It is a unique, particular country, a universe in itself. It is huge and multicultural and the passing of the centuries has generated one of the richest cultures. The good thing is that as souvenirs we can take home part of that ancestral culture, so here I leave you a list of the best souvenirs from China, those that can not be missing in your suitcase.
Chinese jade
Jade is a hard mineral that can be green or whitish, the conjunction of magnesium and calcium silicate. The Chinese have been working on it for thousands of years and in their culture it is what gold is in the Inca culture, for example.
Jade it is related to the spiritual, morals, ethics, merit and dignity and for that very reason it was common in funeral or religious rites. Over time it began to have other uses and objects of decoration and daily and personal use made of jade appeared: boxes, combs, combs, jewelry.
Within the art of jade there are certain patterns: bamboo represents kind behavior, the fan benevolence, the deer was used by high-ranking officers, the duck represented love and peaches represented longevity, for example. Gold and gemstones may be more valuable, but for the Chinese, jade has a soul.
When buying any jade item you should consider the stone's luster, luster, color, and how compact it is. If you see air bubbles it is not real jade and if there are cracks it is worth less. And yes, jade must be taken care of: no bumps, no dust, no perfumes and chemicals because it affects the brightness and is in the sun for a long time.
Chinese silk
Silk has been a precious commodity for centuries. A worm produces silk until its death, an estimated 28 meters in just XNUMX days. That is why original silk is expensive. The Chinese begin to work silk during the Han Dynasty and from those years dates the famous Silk Road, the trade route that originated in China reached Europe.
When buying Chinese silk, look for the softest that you can. A trained eye distinguishes real silk from fake but basically you have to be careful that the threads are thin and long, of moderate resistance, shiny but not too shiny.
You can buy dresses, handkerchiefs, boxs embroidery on silk, shoes.
China porcelain
One of the first Chinese crafts to reach Europe through the Silk Road was precisely its porcelain. Chinese porcelain was born to the wealthy class but quickly spread to the lower classes due to its strength and durability.
Pots of all kinds, tea sets, boxes for various uses, musical instruments and many more objects were made and are made of porcelain. Perhaps the most famous period of this art was lived in times of the Yuan Dynasty, between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, it is the classic blue and white porcelain. But each dynasty brought its own style to this art.
You can buy 100% Chinese porcelain in any of the markets or shopping centers and the small boxes, for example, are great souvenirs for women.
Chinese kites
Kites, kites, as you prefer to tell them, in China they are known as zhiyuan y they are one of the oldest crafts since their appearance dates back to the XNUMXth century BC. Kites had various uses, military as well, but they became popular among all social classes.
The original Chinese kites are made with bamboo and paper and they can be shaped like a dragon, butterfly or insect. The modern ones have other shapes and are made either with these elements or with plastic and synthetic fibers but they are just as beautiful.
Chinese lanterns
Who hasn't been to a Chinese restaurant full of paper lanterns? They originated a long time ago, between the XNUMXst and XNUMXrd centuries, and they were just lamps in those times.
A chinese lantern can be made of paper, bamboo, wood, silk, paper. They had and still have a religious use but over time people used them to highlight different moments, as well as to illuminate.
With the development of other modern lighting technologies, Chinese lanterns only became decorative. There is no more classic souvenir. Yes indeed, there are flashlights of different shapes, round like balloons, elongated, shaped like a dragon. They are sold everywhere.
Cloisonne
The cloisonne is an ancient honeycomb glazing technique used to decorate metal objects. It originated in Beijing in the thirteenth century and bronze objects are worked. The techniques improved over time and it became a very pure art.
This technique is difficult and very sophisticated: Combine porcelain, bronze, painting and sculpture invoice. Today they are sold vessels, vases, fountains and ornaments various of cloisonne and China is a big exporter.
Two good places to buy cloisonne are Liulichang Street and Beijing's Wangfujing Dajie Shopping Street..
Chinese folk toys
The Chinese have always made toys and there are many different crafts involved in their making. They are good souvenirs because in addition they are usually cheaper objects. There are stone, wooden, porcelain, wax, ceramic.
There are objects that women traditionally make with fabrics and lace, which in turn decorate with butterflies, flowers or animals, which are usually given to children. There are figures related to Chinese opera or Chinese religion and mythology, there are the classics red knots, music boxes, puppetry and today, as stuffed toys of all shapes and colors.
Besides these souvenirs from China there are others like fans, traditional stamps, Chinese medicines or memorabilia from the communist regime. The truth is that China is a great market so I recommend that you go ready to carry an extra suitcase or backpack with all your purchases. It's cheap, you can haggle, and it's a haven for those who enjoy shopping for souvenirs.